Please Ask Kevin | Napolitana, Dim Sum & Hot Sauce

Do you have a burning food question? Need to know where the best sushi in town is? The perfect first (or maybe last) date night spot is? Or where to spend your parents hard earned cash when they are in town visiting? Ask our food writer.

Which bodegones have the best milanesa napolitana?

*rolls up sleeves, loosens belt*

If you are the truest of milanga disciples, get ready for a pilgrimage. One of the greatest milanesas, napolitana or otherwise, is at a neighborhood joint on the border of La Matanza called La Central. Milanesas are pounded out until they are big enough to flop over a giant buffet tray and drowned in homey red sauce and gooey cheese. If you need something a little closer, El Globo has a perfectly respectable milanesa de lomo cut extra fat and when in doubt Don Ignacio, the king of milanesa himself, is always a great decision.

I want to start making hot sauce. Where do I start?

The first step is becoming familiar with the best neighborhoods and markets to buy supplies. I tend to do a lot of shopping in Barrio Chino but if you are close to Flores (along Morón or Aranguren) or Once/Abasto you’ll find great Korean and Peruvian markets. Liniers (on Saenz) for most is a bit of a hike but this is the spot for fresh and dry chiles and significantly cheaper than the rest.

If you aren’t very kitchen savvy, there are some cheats to get your toes wet. Korean chile paste gochujang is sold by the tub and can be quickly blended with orange juice, sesame oil, onion, garlic and cilantro. You could also grab a can of chipotle (pretty widely available now) and blend it the same way. If you want to learn to make hot sauce completely from scratch, google away and adapt with what you are able to find locally. Serious Eats and Thug Kitchen have tons of easy to use recipes.

Does dim sum exist in Buenos Aires?

Of the three main Asian communities here (Korean, Japanese, Chinese), China is the least represented in the food department. I have never found dim sum in Buenos Aires but would highly recommend visiting Caracol de Amor. This sprawling restaurant is empty most nights but packs up on the weekends. I’ve always eaten well but have noticed that food tends to be a bit better when I plan ahead and call a day or two before with a large order—pretty much a requisite if you want dumplings. Definitely try the soup dumplings, roast duck, pork belly bao, garlic eggplant and grilled eel.

Where are the best places for a vegan to eat? If they are fusion style mejor.

If you have money to burn (you can easily spend $1600 a person), Sacro is not only the best vegan food in the city it could possibly be one of Buenos Aires’ greatest restaurants. Order the kimchi and wild mushrooms, green curry and dumplings. For something equally exciting but slightly less expensive, Gran Dabbang is an Indian inspired restaurant that also draws from the rest of Southeast Asia and North Argentina. They have a lot of plant-based dishes and others that can easily be turned vegan; try their famous pakoras doused in a hot sriracha sauce.

photo provide by infobae.

If you are free for lunch, midday only spots like Rollin Lui in Chacarita and Villa Crespo (killer falafel and vegan burgers), Colegiales hippie joint Yedra (mostly vegetarian menu) and the new Americano (plant-based menu that can easily be turned vegan) are all excellent choices.

And if you want to try out some new cuisines, you could pop into a Bolivian restaurant like Miriam for a sopa de mani, an old school japanese spot like Ichisou for spicy braised tofu, vegetable tempura and miso soup, or traditional Chinese like Hong Sichuan for garlic eggplant, spicy seaweed and vegetable noodle soup.

Kevin Vaughn is a professional eater by way of California who has been living and working in Buenos Aires for the last decade. His stories about Buenos Aires food culture have appeared in Munchies, Remezcla, Savoteur and The New Worlder. He also runs MASA, a Mexican influenced pop-up, and Devour Buenos Aires, a customizable tour service for curious travelers.